You spin me round
by Roses of the Renaissance
Summary: COMPLETE.AU.Slightly ooc. Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Ermac are sent to train Raiden's three chosen warriors for the next mortal kombat tournament. But the warriors aren't at all what the guys expected. Scorpion/OC, Sub-Zero/OC, Ermac/OC.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing that doesn't belong to me.

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Chapter One

A lone figure walked through the early-morning haze that covered a small village in Earth-realm. The villagers that were already up to start their daily chores stopped and stared as the figure passed by. He had been the third strange looking person to come to their village. The village was up in the mountains so it wasn't very often that people passed through there. Though the people in the village wouldn't exactly classify this man as a normal person. He looked to be a ninja judging from his black and gold uniform. But his eyes weren't those of a human. They were white, without any pupils. The villagers waited until the figure passed before resuming what they were doing. Some started conversations with a friend or customer, but most remained silent. In their heads though, they were all thinking the same thing. Who were these people, and what were they doing here?

Scorpion scowled behind his mask. It was as if the people in this village had never seen another person outside of their families and neighbors. Though that wouldn't surprise him, considering this village was up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere. It had taken him about a week to get here, and that was without rest. Dead men didn't need rest anyway. Finally finding the building he was looking for, he crossed the street and went inside. The minute Scorpion got inside the inn he felt the temperature drop. Looking over, he saw a figure standing in one corner of the room.

"You." He growled. In response to this remark the figure stepped out into the light to reveal a man dressed from head to toe in blue. A vertical scar was visible across his right eye. So it was the younger Sub-Zero. Of course it would have to be. Scorpion had killed the older Sub-Zero a long time ago. He still didn't like the younger one any better though.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sub-Zero shrugged.

"I know as much as you do." He said. Scorpion snorted before turning to walk out the door.

"I'm leaving. I don't care what Raiden wants. If it means working with you he can forget it." He was almost out the door when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Stopping, he turned back to Sub-Zero.

"You must not want that hand." Sub-Zero's eyes narrowed at the remark.

"Look." He said. "I've no intention of fighting you. I am not responsible for my elder brother's actions and I bear no personal grudge against you." Scorpion snorted in response.

"Your Lin Kuei. You will always be my enemy." Knocking Sub-Zero's hand to the side, Scorpion once again turned to leave, but was stopped when the door slammed shut by its-self.

"We think it would be wise for you to stay and listen to Raiden. If you still don't want to be here afterwards then you can leave." Looking to his right, Scorpion saw a man sitting against the wall. He was dressed all in red with black trim, and a black wrap covered his head and face like a ninja mask, with the ties in the back hanging down to his waist. A green jewel shown on the front of his 'dew rag' like head covering, and his pupil-less eyes glowed with the same bright green as the jewel did.

"Who the hell are you?" Scorpion asked.

"We are Ermac. We've been ordered here by Raiden just as you have."

"Do you know what for?"

"No. Which is why we suggest you stay and wait for Raiden to show up." Scorpion looked from Ermac to Sub-Zero before giving up.

"Fine. I'll wait." He growled before stalking over and sitting at the back of the room.

Twenty minutes later

Scorpion sat glaring at Sub-Zero. He was already mad about having to wait on Raiden, and in the same room as his enemy no less. If looks could kill, the grandmaster would be dead a thousand times over by now.

Sub-Zero sat there, trying to ignore the death glare that was being directed at him. But eventually it got to him. Turning to Scorpion, he said in a cold voice. "You know. If you keep glaring at me like that your face might freeze in that position."

"You wanna fight?" Scorpion asked, jumping up.

"Bring it." Sub-Zero said standing up to face him. Lunging at each other, they were stopped when a bolt of lightning struck between them. Looking over they saw Raiden appear.

"Enough! You haven't even heard what you're doing here and you're already fighting." He shouted. Scorpion and Sub-Zero glared at each other before backing off and giving the thunder god room.

"Thank you. Now. As you all know, the next Mortal Kombat tournament has once again been corrupted."

"What does that have to do with us?" Scorpion asked. Raiden glared at him before answering.

"It has everything to do with you. You three are going to train my three chosen warriors for the tournament."

"Why don't you just have us compete." Sub-Zero asked. Raiden sighed.

"I wish I could. But these three are the only ones who can do it. It's going to be difficult. The warriors live in a different dimension that is similar to Earth-realm. We are nothing more to them than a game. You will need to stay hidden while you are there. They are the only ones who should be able to see you, but you should still be careful." He looked around the room. "Are there any questions?"

"How will we know which warrior we train?" Sub-Zero asked.

"The warriors will choose you. Whoever chooses you, that's who you'll train."

"How will we stay hidden while we are there?" This came from Ermac, which surprised Sub-Zero and Scorpion. They'd forgotten he was there. Raiden chuckled. "That's a good question. I'm glad you asked." He said. "You'll use these." Holding up his hand, he showed them three key-rings. Each had a four-inch tall action figure of one of them on the key-chain.

"How are **those** supposed to help us?" Scorpion asked in an annoyed voice. A slow smile spread across Raiden's face.

"You'll see."

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Authors note: Hello, I finally decided to put up my Mortal Kombat story. This story was thought up by me and my friend TheRedFredDeadDude/Hikosmymanfriend. I titled this story after the song 'You spin me round (like a record)' by Dead or Alive. If you've ever watched the movies the song goes perfectly with them. Anyways, enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine. And the creepy little old lady belongs to hikosmymanfriend/TheRedFredDeadDude, and she has given me full permission to use this character.

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Chapter Two

"Hey let's go in here." Ellen said to her sister. Emily turned and looked at the building that Ellen was indicating. It was dark inside and kind of eerie looking.

"I don't know Ellen. It's kinda creepy looking." Emily said. Ellen gave her a look before walking into the pawn shop. Rolling her eyes, Emily followed her sister in the store. It was Saturday and they'd gone to town to go looking through the many pawn shops and antique stores that were there. So far they hadn't found anything interesting and this was the last store they'd come to. The inside of the pawn shop was dimly lit and the walls were covered with shelves that had dozens of figurines and other trinkets on them. Glass display cases sat on either side of the main isle, illuminating jewelry and other valuables.

"Is anyone here?" Emily called out. Their only answer was the creaking of the wooden floor under the weight of their steps.

"Guess no ones around." Emily said as Ellen walked off to look at something.

"Hey Emily, come look at this." Emily walked over to her sister to see what she was looking at.

"Awww. They're so cute!!" She said as she picked up a keychain with a little action figure of Sub-Zero hanging on the end. Looking over she saw Ellen had picked up the keychain of Ermac.

"I'm gonna have to buy this ya know." She said to Ellen. They were so caught up in what they were doing that they didn't notice a figure come up behind them.

"Welcome!" A creepy voice said behind them. Both girls jumped a foot in the air and spun around to see a short little woman with white hair that was tied up in a bun. Her small form was accented with a white blouse and a pair of black dress pants. Ignoring the girls shocked looks at not hearing her sneak up on them, she indicated to the key chains they were holding.

"You like?" She asked. She had an asian accent, but the girls couldn't place it. Recovering from their shock, they smiled.

"Well. Yeah." Emily said in a somewhat uncertain voice.

"You want buy?" The lady asked. Emily looked at Ellen.

"Are you gonna buy that one?" She asked her. Ellen looked at the Ermac keychain in her hand before looking back at Emily.

"I guess. It's too cute not to buy." Emily held up the keychain of Sub-Zero. "You **know** I'm getting **this**." She said. They followed the lady up to the counter.

"We'll have to tell Toni about the Scorpion keychain." Ellen said to her sister. "You know she's gonna want it." The old lady stopped what she was doing and looked at them.

"You have friend want that?" She asked indicating towards the Scorpion keychain that still hung on the wall.

"Well, yeah." The girls answered. A smile lit up the woman's features.

"Oh. Then you get for friend as gift?" She said.

"Well we would. But we don't have enough money." Emily said, a little embarrassed. The woman laughed.

"Oh no worry about money. I give you all three free."

"Really?" They asked in disbelief.

"Yes, yes. Go on and give to friend. It good for you, and her too." So the twins ended up leaving the store with an extra keychain in hand.

"So when are we gonna give this to her?" Ellen asked.

"How about today."

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A girl who looked to be sixteen sat on her bed reading. Her dark brown eyes were accented with gold eye shadow and black eyeliner, and they glistened behind her small red glasses. Her dark brown hair was heavily layered and reached just past her shoulders, and her forehead was obscured by her bangs. Hearing her phone ring, she reached over and picked it up.

"Hello."

"Hey Toni. Are you doing anything?" Emily asked her.

"No."

"Do you want to come over? We've got something to show you."

"Sure."

"Okay. We're in town so we'll come get you." Then she hung up. Getting off her bed, Toni changed from her around-the-yard clothes into a pair of jeans and a sleeveless top. Slipping on her boots, she headed out of her room.

"I'm headed to Emily's." She said as she passed by her mom.

"Don't be out to late."

"I won't."

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Meeting the twins down at the end of her driveway, Toni climbed into the back-seat of their car and they headed for their house. Since Ellen was driving, Emily did most of the talking.

"We went shopping today at the pawn shops in town and we found some really awesome stuff." She said as she showed Toni the Sub-Zero and Ermac key chains.

"And we got you something too." Ellen said from the driver's seat. Emily handed a small bag back to Toni. Opening it, she pulled out the keychain of Scorpion.

"Oh it's so cute!" She said as she looked it over. "It's awesome. Thank you."

"We found it in a shop that was run by this creepy old lady. When she found out we didn't have enough money to get that for you, she gave us all three for free!"

"That doesn't happen very often." Toni said. The rest of the ride was spent talking about random stuff. When they got to the twins house they spent they're time playing Mortal Kombat, watching movies, and just sitting around talking. Before she knew it, it was time for Toni to go home.

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After the twins had dropped her off, Toni started the long walk from the gate, at the end of her driveway, to her house. By this time it was night, and the full moon illuminated the field around her. She had gotten maybe a foot away from the gate when she heard a noise that broke away from the regular sounds of the night. Turning, she looked behind her at the woods across the road. There was no one. That's funny, she could have sworn she heard the sound of gravel crunching under a boot behind her, but it must have been her imagination.

'_I'm too paranoid.'_ She thought as she turned back around… and found herself facing a wall of black. Looking up, she saw that it wasn't a wall but a man. He wore a long black cloak and his hood was pulled down so she could only see his mouth and his chin. With lightning fast speed he clamped his hand over her mouth, cutting off the scream she'd been about to let loose.

"Don't even think of screaming." He said before looking her over. "So. Your one of Raiden's chosen warriors. Not quite what I expected, but still a threat to our plan." He pulled a dagger from beneath his cloak with his free hand and raised it to her throat. "Seems a shame I have to kill you. You would have made a wonderful-!" His words were cut off suddenly as someone drove a kitana through his chest, killing him instantly. Toni had been knocked to the ground and sat there, watching in shock as the mans body fell over. The minute the body touched the ground it disappeared. A voice broke her out of her trance.

"He was so weak he didn't deserve to be an assassin." Toni looked up in time to see her so-called savior fling the blood off his sword before replacing it in the sheath that was strapped across his back. She didn't need to ask who he was. She already knew.

"Scorpion!" He turned and looked down at her before disappearing.

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Authors note: Hi, sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've been pretty busy with E.O.C. exams, among other things. I know this chapter isn't that good, but I have trouble writing this kind of stuff. So any tips are welcome. But other than that I hope you enjoy it.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine.

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Chapter Three

Emily and Ellen walked down the hill from their grandparent's house to their house.They were halfway down when the pole lamp across the road went out. That didn't bother them this time because of the full moon, but they still couldn't shake the feeling they had.

"Do you get the feeling we're being watched?" Emily asked as she looked around.

"Yeah." Ellen said. "But it's probably just the dog."No sooner had the words left her mouth then they found themselves surrounded by a group of men dressed in black cloaks with their hoods pulled down to hide their faces. The leader of the group stepped forward.

"It looks like we've found the rest of Raiden's chosen warriors." He said to his men before turning back to the girls. "Sorry, but for our plans to succeed, you two have to die." Before he could move, however, he heard screams come from behind him. He turned just in time to see a giant battle axe swing at his head.

Emily and Ellen watched in shock as the leader of the group was decapitated by someone dressed in red and carrying a battle axe. Before the body could hit the ground it disappeared. Looking up from where the body had been they saw Ermac standing there with his axe resting on his shoulder.

"Ermac!?" They both said together. He nodded at them before turning and killing a man who was trying to sneak up on him. Looking behind Ermac, they saw another figure who was now surrounded by the shady looking group. In one swift motion the figure froze the surrounding enemies, who in turn vanished. Once they were gone, the figure walked up to stand beside Ermac.

"There were more than I expected. Whoever's behind this doesn't want these girls to succeed."

"Yes. But now we are faced with a new problem." Ermac said.

"What's that?"

"How do we tell these two apart?" Sub-Zero looked over at the two girls. Ermac had a point. Both girls had short brown hair that reached just past their chin, dark brown eyes, and they both dressed in the loose t-shirts and baggy shorts.

Emily could've fainted from happiness. Her favorite character had shown up and saved her from a group of creepy looking people who were about to kill her. Ellen hadn't said anything but she knew her sister was just as excited about this as her. After all, Ermac was Ellen's favorite character.

Sub-Zero looked at the girls again and noticed that one was looking at him with an admiring look. Ogling him was more like it. That's when he saw the keychain of himself in her hand.

"I've got the creepy one." He said as he motioned towards Emily.

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Toni sat on her bed in her room. What had just happened? Who was that man? He had called her one of Raiden's chosen warriors, whatever that meant. And then there was Scorpion. She looked down at the keychain in her hand. Had he really appeared and killed that man? Or was she just losing her mind? Finally she decided to pay Emily and Ellen a visit tomorrow. Maybe they knew what was going on. After all, they had gotten key- chains similar to hers. Setting the keychain down she went to get ready for bed. Maybe she could figure all this out tomorrow.

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Author's note: I'm back again. I couldn't think of anything, so that's how this chapter came to be. It's not that good. But I'm trying to make my story better as I go along. I've had really bad writer's block on this story but I think I'm getting around it. Hopefully.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine.

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Chapter Four

The next day after church Toni drove over to Emily and Ellen's house, taking the keychain with her. She was greeted at the door by their dad, who told her they were in their room. Knocking on the door, it was opened by Emily.

"Oh, it's you. What's up?" She asked as she saw the worried look on Toni's face.

"Something really weird happened to me last night." She said. Opening the door, Emily let her in the room. Toni wasn't expecting what she saw. There, sitting behind Ellen on the two beds, were Sub-Zero and Ermac.

"Um, is it just me, or are Sub-Zero and Ermac sitting on your bed?" She asked.

"It's really them." Ellen said in a casual voice. Toni sighed in relief.

"Okay, that means I'm not going crazy." She said. The next few minutes were spent telling what had happened to them the night before. When Toni was done, Sub-Zero looked at her.

"Toni, have you seen Scorpion since he killed that man?" He asked. Toni shook her head. Sub-Zero sighed.

"He's being a drama queen again."

"I am not a drama queen!" Came the furious reply. Toni looked behind her to see Scorpion, who looked ready to murder something. Sub-Zero returned Scorpion's glare.

"You made this poor girl think she was going crazy!"

"Whatever." Scorpion snorted. "I got rid of the assassin that was sent to kill her." Sub-Zero gave a frustrated sigh. "Will you never change?" The look he received clearly said 'no'. Before another fight could break out, Raiden appeared in a flash of light.

"I am getting very sick of listening to you two bicker like schoolgirls." He growled. "Now. Let us get down to business." Turning to the three girls, he spoke.

"I'm sorry. I know you three are shocked and confused about all this, but I will explain everything." After all of them were seated on the beds, except for Scorpion, who sat on the floor against the wall, Raiden began his story.

"As you three know through games and movies, awhile back the Mortal Kombat tournament was taken over and corrupted by Shang-Tsung. Fortunately, the chosen warriors were able to defeat him and restore peace. But…" He paused. "Shang-Tsung has once again corrupted the tournament."

"So how do we fit into all this?" Toni asked.

"You fit into all of this because you three are the only ones who can defeat Shang-Tsung."

"What do you mean we're the only ones?" Emily asked. "Why don't you just send someone else?"

"That's just it. I've searched high and low, but I couldn't find anyone who would be able to defeat Shang-Tsung." Raiden sighed. "And it's not just him. Quan-Chi is also in on this." The girls just sat there, letting all this information sink in. Sub-Zero took this opportunity to speak.

"Shang-Tsung couldn't have taken over the tournament by himself. And I don't think the combined efforts of him and Quan-Chi are strong enough to conquer the tournament either. There's someone else. Isn't there?" He asked Raiden.

"Yes." Raiden said darkly. "Someone stronger than both the sorcerers' combined is behind them. I don't know who it is though. They've been good at hiding in the shadows."

"So we're going up against someone we don't even know about?" Toni asked in disbelief. Raiden nodded.

"Don't fret though. You only have to worry about Shang-Tsung. There's four months until the tournament. That should give you enough time to train." He then motioned towards Sub-Zero, Ermac, and Scorpion.

"May I speak with you three alone for a moment." Getting up, they followed Raiden into the hall.

"I'm going to give you a fair warning right now. These girls are elementals. They don't know it, but I can sense it in them. Once they master their element, they will be quite powerful."

"What element will they master?" Sub-Zero asked.

"I do not know. But I suspect at least one will be the opposite of her teachers." With that Raiden disappeared. Turning toward the other two warriors, Sub-Zero sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"We're going to have to get moving if we've only got four months to train them." Scorpion snorted.

"What's the matter Sub-Zero? Afraid you can't train yours in time?" Sub-Zero glared at him.

"Not anymore than you can." Scorpion couldn't come up with a good enough comeback, so he settled for a glare instead. Ignoring Scorpion, Sub-Zero turned to Ermac.

"What do you think? Will four months be enough time?"

"We think so. We will do all that we can to train our student."

"I just hope this all works out for the best." Sub-Zero said as they walked back in the room.

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Author's note: Sorry I've slowed down on updating my story. I've had a lot going on. I don't think this chapter was all that good. It's a explanatory chapter and that's about it. I'm sorry if some of my chapters are short. I just have a hard time thinking of stuff to make them longer.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing that isn't mine.

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Chapter Five

Scorpion sat on the floor against the desk in Toni's room. He hadn't seen her all day because she'd been in school, though he didn't mind that much. It was bad enough he had to train the brat. He didn't want to spend all his free time around her too. Why did Raiden even waste his time with these children? Scorpion could have gladly gotten rid of both Sorcerers himself. It would've been better than relying on a weak, young girl. Hearing the door open, Scorpion looked up to see Toni walk in. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt and a pair of running shorts that showed off her long, tanned legs. This didn't faze Scorpion though, seeing as how one: he was dead and didn't care about that stuff anymore. And two: she was a lot younger than him. She looked over at him.

"I see your finally gracing me with your presence." She said before sitting on her bed and putting on her shoes. Scorpion didn't answer. Ignoring his silence she went on.

"So when are you gonna start training me?"

"Next week." Came the short reply. She had already told him this was her last week of school before she got out on summer break. That gave him a week of freedom before he had to train her. Looking up, he saw her giving him a faint smile.

"What?"

"You don't want to train me, do you?" She asked.

"Look girl. I'm only training you because Raiden told me to. I don't want to be around you anymore than I have to." Toni's eyes narrowed and she got up and walked to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Scorpion asked as he stood up. Without turning around, she answered him.

"**I** am going to go exercise. **You** are going to stay here." She said in a cold voice. Scorpion was about to say something in return but she cut him off.

"Don't worry though. Nothing should attack me. Though you probably wouldn't care if it did." Opening the door, she walked out and violently shut it behind her. Scorpion stood there a moment. He had figured she'd start crying or something. He didn't expect her to get mad. What she said echoed in his head. He actually did care if something happened to her. Raiden had promised a fate worse than being undead if anything had happened to her, and though he couldn't think of anything worse than the way he was right now, Scorpion didn't want to find out what Raiden meant. Instead of going after her, however, Scorpion sat back down. The girl thought she could handle herself. He would just wait until she figured out that she actually **did** need his help.

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Toni made her third lap around the track. Her earlier anger had subsided and to her surprise she felt somewhat sad. True, Scorpion was her favorite character, but that didn't make him any nicer. She shuddered to think of her upcoming training sessions with him. He'd probably have her doing a hundred push-ups each day or something. Not that there wasn't anything wrong with that, but she didn't think she would be able to do that and live through it. When she was done exercising, she started back to the gate that led out of the football stadium. The school usually kept one of the gates open so people could walk the track during the summer or after school. As she was walking by the home stands she noticed a man standing by the fence. Immediately her guard rose. He looked normal enough in a t-shirt and jeans, but she was still suspicious.

"Hello." He called out in a friendly voice when she was within hearing range.

"Hi." She said in a quiet voice. She was shy around people she didn't know, and she wasn't exactly the social type either.

"I came here to walk for awhile but I didn't want to disturb you." The man said. He had bright hazel eyes and light brown hair.

"Oh, well that's okay. I'm done now." Toni said. The man smiled at her.

"Well I guess you have things to do still. It was nice meeting you. My names Chris."

"I'm Toni." She said. Turning, she started towards the gate again.

"Oh Toni! I forgot to tell you something."

"What is it?" She turned back around and suddenly found his hand clamped around her throat.

"Die." He said in a casual tone. Toni tried to pry his hand from around her neck, but he was too strong. His grip tightened around her throat and she gasped as more of her air was cut off. Black spots started to cloud her vision. There was no one to save her this time.

"GET OVER HERE!!!" The man's body jerked backwards and he let go of Toni, who fell to the ground. She watched in a daze as the man was run through with Scorpion's sword. As with the previous people, the body disappeared before it touched the ground. Looking up, she locked eyes with Scorpion before falling forward. Running over, he grabbed her by the shoulders before she could hit the ground.

"Hey! Look at me." He said to her in a calming voice. "Don't faint on me okay." He finally got her breathing normally again, and he sat there, holding her up while she got over her initial shock of almost being choked to death. He didn't know how long he sat there with her, but she eventually told him she was well enough to drive home. He walked behind her to the truck. Just in case she fainted. Once in her truck, Toni gripped the steering wheel to try and stop her hands from shaking. Looking over, she saw Scorpion sitting in the passenger seat watching her. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled before asking.

"How did you know I was in trouble?"

"It's just something all three of us can do. And if I want to, I can appear anywhere you are. Look." Toni looked down to find the keychain of Scorpion clipped to her key ring along with her keys.

"The teacher is bound to the student. That's what Raiden said."

"But why did you save me? If you can't stand being around me why didn't you just let him kill me?" Toni asked.

"Because Raiden promised a fate worse than being undead if anything happens to you." He paused. "But now do you understand that its vital for you to have me nearby?" Toni nodded before starting up the truck and heading home. It was weird. Scorpion was being nice to her in a mean way. If that was possible. She sighed. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

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Author's note: I can't believe I wrote this chapter. It is so cheesy. My friend almost died laughing when she read it though because of the 'die' part. Oh well, this chapter is like a filler episode. Think of it that way. And I'm sorry I didn't update Tuesday. I've been so busy I've barely had time to get on fan fiction this week.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine.

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Chapter Six

Emily was having a good day at school the next day until she saw Toni.

"What happened to you?" She asked when she saw the faint bruises on her friends neck.

"I was attacked and nearly choked to death by another creepy person."

"But why did they only attack you and not us?" Emily asked.

"It's probably because I'm an easier target since I'm alone and you have Ellen." The rest of the day went by uneventfully for the most part. It was around seventh period that Emily noticed something was wrong. It had been a day since she last saw Sub-Zero. She had misplaced the keychain too. When she and Ellen got home from school they began the search. Their parents were out so they had the house to themselves.

"Can you remember where you saw it last?" Ellen asked her sister after hours of searching. Emily was about to answer when she heard a weird noise coming from the end of the hallway.

"Did you hear that?" She asked Ellen as she looked down the hall. The sound seemed to be coming from the room with the washer and dryer. Her eyes widened as realization struck her. Running down the hall she flung open the dryer door and looked inside the pocket of her jeans. There it was, the keychain.

"I am so dead." She muttered to herself. Turning around, she found herself facing a very peeved Sub-Zero. His trident had come off and his short, white hair was sticking in about thirty different directions. Surprisingly his mask had stayed on, but Emily knew from the look of his eyes that his mouth was most likely forming a thin, straight line. His usually neat uniform was now wrinkled and had small rips and tears in it. As much as she wanted to laugh, Emily refrained from doing so.

"Um.. I'm sorry.." She said hesitantly. Sub-Zero's eyes narrowed before he turned and walked into the living room.

Five minutes later

Sub-Zero sat on the couch in the girls living room. His hair was fixed and his trident was back on, but his clothes. It'd be awhile before he could fix those. Emily sat on the couch opposite to Sub-Zero. She hadn't said a word to him since it happened. Her sister Ellen was probably still in the bedroom laughing, and Ermac was sitting in a chair to Sub-Zero's left. Unlike Ellen, Ermac had stopped laughing some time ago.

"I'm really sorry." Emily said. "I didn't know the keychain was in my pocket.." Sub-Zero held up his hand to stop her.

"I accept your apology. Just make sure it doesn't happen again." Emily nodded in response. Sub-Zero sighed. It was going to be a long four months. When he opened his eyes he found Emily staring at him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Can I help you fix your shirt?"

"NO!"

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Ellen sped along the path that led out into the woods near their home. Emily had stayed at the house instead of coming four-wheeler riding. Ellen rolled her eyes. All Emily wanted to do was try and see Sub-Zero shirtless as he fixed his clothes. She was such a pervert. Crossing a small creek, Ellen came to a large meadow surrounded by trees. The path led on through the meadow and back into the woods, but what she saw made her stop and turn the four-wheeler off.

'_What's he doing out here?'_ She thought to herself. Sitting there, in the middle of the field, was Ermac. Ellen would have thought he was dead if he hadn't been sitting up. Walking up as quietly as she could, Ellen sat down beside Ermac and gave him a curious look. She wanted to ask what he was doing but she stayed silent. She saw Ermac's face twitch and her curiosity peaked.

'_Is he smiling?'_ She thought to herself. After awhile Ermac spoke.

"What is it that you want to ask of us?"

"Was it that obvious?" Ellen asked in an exasperated voice. Ermac chuckled.

"Yes."

"Okay fine. What are you doing?" Ermac was silent a moment before answering her.

"We are meditating." Ellen looked at him in surprise.

"You meditate?"

"Yes. It helps clear ones mind."

"Oh. So… what were you thinking about?" Ermac looked down at her before responding.

"We were thinking of the best way to train you." Ellen was surprised by this answer. The last thing she expected him to be thinking about was her. Still, she was curious as to how he would train her.

"So how are you gonna train me? Are you gonna teach me telepathy?"

"No. There is a different method we will teach you by." Ellen sighed. She had kind of wanted to learn telepathy. But it appeared that that wasn't going to happen.

"So where will we train?" She asked. Ermac was silent once more before answering.

"We will train you here. This is a secluded place and it will serve for a good training ground." Ellen was about to ask more when Ermac's hand shot out a couple inches from her face.

"Wha-!" Ermac jerked his hand back and Ellen noticed the green glow around it. A few seconds later a man went flying past them to land unceremoniously in the dirt. Rolling over, the man jumped up to face them.

"I just came for the girl, but your gonna pay for that." He growled at Ermac. Ellen watched as the two started fighting. The guy was good, but he wasn't as good as Ermac and he was quickly overpowered. Ellen was so caught up in the fight that she didn't notice another guy come up behind her.

"Hey! Let me go!" She shouted as the man grabbed her arms and jerked them behind her back. Twisting out of his grip, she turned to face him.

"Oh no you don't!" The man said as he grabbed her by the shoulder. There was a flash of metal between them and the man's arm fell to the ground. Screaming, the man dropped to the ground staring at his arm that now lay a few feet from him. Looking up Ellen found Ermac standing there with his axe. In one swift motion the man was beheaded and his body disappeared. Surprisingly, Ellen wasn't as disturbed by this as she thought she would be. She must've played the game to much.

"It appears that we need to start training immediately. Sub-Zero was right. Whoever's behind this does not want you to succeed." Ermac sighed. "And we think it will only get worse."

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Author's note: Well there you have it. Chapter six. I wrote this because I could think of nothing else so yeah, it's bound to be weird. I'm really sorry I haven't updated in so long. It's funny, I'm on summer vacation and I have even less time to update than when I was in school. Figure that one out. Anyways I hope you enjoy.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine.

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Chapter Seven

"Ugh!!" Toni let out a yell as she was knocked flat of her back, promptly knocking the wind out of her. Scorpion stood over her. A disapproving look on what she could see of his face.

"Get up. We're not done yet." Toni sighed. It had been eight weeks since her training with Scorpion started, and so far all she'd learned was hand-to-hand combat. It was weird. It didn't feel like she was learning something new, but rather like she was remembering something she'd forgotten long ago. She'd learned quite a bit over the past eight weeks but she was still no match for Scorpion. And he wasn't going easy on her either. With a grunt she picked herself up off the ground.

'_I bet the others aren't having this rough of a time.'_ She thought as she went back to sparring with Scorpion. It wasn't but a few minutes later that she was looking up at him from the ground again.

"Your going to have to do better than that if your going to win the tournament." He said.

"Maybe if you wouldn't treat me like a punching bag for your anger management class I **would** do better." Toni retorted. Scorpion's eye twitched. _'Ha ha. Got him.'_

"I'm just trying to prepare you for the tournament." He said through gritted teeth. Toni snorted. She doubted she'd ever run into someone who slammed a person into the ground as hard as Scorpion did. Picking herself up once more, she faced Scorpion.

"Fine. Lets do this."

---------------------------------------------------

Ellen stood in the middle of the meadow trying to catch her breath. She'd spent most of the morning training with Ermac and they were taking a break for now. Ermac sat off to the side, watching her. He'd gone easy on her for the most part and so far she'd done well. But he sensed that she didn't see it that way.

"You are doing good." He said to her. "It will only be a matter of time before we start training you with weapons." Ellen gave him a surprised look.

"Oh. I don't think I'm good enough to start using weapons." She said with a nervous laugh. Ermac smiled behind his mask.

"You are better than you give yourself credit for. Don't worry, you'll be fine."

---------------------------------------------------

Emily stood in the field watching as Sub-Zero showed her how to properly defend herself against an opponent. They were practicing in a field close to where Ellen and Ermac were, but she hadn't seen them. Sub-Zero had managed to fix his clothes without Emily 'helping' him, much to her disappointment. She had been hoping that she'd get to see him shirtless. But that didn't happen. Snapping from her thoughts she went back to watching Sub-Zero go through the motions of the defensive techniques he was currently teaching her. She watched how he moved with cat-like grace, how every move was executed perfectly, without flaw, how the muscles in his finely toned arms flexed when he moved, how good he looked in the setting sun, how…

"Emily!" Emily was snapped from her wonderful train of thoughts by Sub-Zero's voice. She looked up to see him standing in front of her.

"Were you even paying attention?" He asked in an annoyed voice.

"Yeah. Sure." She said with a nervous laugh.

"Oh really. Then what did I say to you before I called your name?" Emily thought for a minute.

"Um. You said I was a wonderful student and you loved being my teacher…" Sub-Zero's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Let's resume this tomorrow. By then I expect you to have your mind out of where ever it may be." He said before walking off. Emily sighed. He probably thought she was a total idiot. She glared at where his figure had disappeared into the trees. It was his fault. If he wasn't so fine then she would pay more attention to the lesson. Then again, if he **wasn't** so fine then she wouldn't want him to be her teacher.

'_Oh well, its not like he's into me or anything.'_ She thought as she started towards the path to her house. She wasn't drop dead gorgeous or anything, so there was really no reason for him to be drooling over her like she was over him.

"Well well, what have we here?" Emily spun around to see three of the so-called "creepy people" standing there.

"Now what's one of Raiden's chosen warriors doing out here all alone without her guardian?" The middle one asked with a smirk. The other two left his side to circle around Emily. Well this was great. The day Sub-Zero teaches her about defending herself is the one day she didn't pay attention. Then these guys show up right after he leaves. They had perfect timing. She'd give them that. Unfortunately for them though, she **had** been paying attention to her other lessons. Turning quickly, she punched the guy on her right in the face and caught the guy on her left with her boot in his stomach as he lunged at her. Running at the third man, she swung at him but he simply dodged the swing and caught her by the wrist. Twisting her arm behind her, he turned her around so that her back was to him.

"Sorry but, I'm a bit better at martial arts than those two idiots." He said in her ear. "Now, lets see what your beloved teacher will do?" Emily looked out across the field to see Sub-Zero standing there. If he'd been annoyed before then he was pissed now.

"Ah Sub-Zero. So nice of you to join us." The man said in a casual tone. Sub-Zero didn't answer but instead started walking towards them. When he'd gotten within five feet of them the man stopped him.

"Whoa there friend. I'm going to have to ask you to stop right there. Otherwise, I might have to kill your student. And we wouldn't want that. Would we?"

"Let her go. She's got nothing to do with this." Sub-Zero said in a low voice. The man laughed.

"Nothing to do with this. Why, she has everything to do with this. If she and her friends die, then our plans will succeed. If they don't, our plans fail." He paused. "But since you asked. I guess I'll give her back." He pushed Emily towards Sub-Zero, who caught her and pushed her to the ground.

"Hey! What do you…!" Emily cut off as she looked up to see Sub-Zero and the man clashing swords, right where she'd been moments before.

'_He pushed me out of the way!'_ She thought as the two began to fight.

The man was good but that didn't surprise Sub-Zero. He had already sensed that this guy was a higher level warrior than what they'd already seen. The fact that he was blocking all of Sub-Zero's attacks was even more proof. Seeing an opening, Sub-Zero swung at the man's stomach, hoping to cut him in half, but the man did a back flip and landed a few feet away. Looking up, he smirked at Sub-Zero before disappearing.

"What was that all about?" Emily asked as she started to get up.

"Don't move!" Sub-Zero shouted. Emily froze. In a split second Sub-Zero was standing in front of her. There was another clash of metal as the man reappeared and brought his sword down across Sub-Zero's

"Hm. Your pretty quick when defending the girl."

"I won't let you lay one finger on her." Sub-Zero growled.

"Oh. Getting a bit attached are we?" The man asked with a smirk.

"You wish!" Sub-Zero growled as he threw the man back. With a laugh the man skidded to a stop.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I really need to get back and report this. It was fun while it lasted." And with that he was gone.

Emily watched as Sub-Zero turned to her.

"Are you okay?" She nodded. "Good, lets go back." Getting up she followed him as he walked back towards the house. He didn't say anything and Emily finally stole a look at him out of the corner of her eye. He was lost in thought, looking at the ground as he walked. His brow was furrowed in what almost looked like worry. Emily didn't want to ask him the question that had formed in her head, but it was nagging at her.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked. Sub-Zero stopped and turned to her.

"No, I'm mad at myself for leaving you here. If I hadn't left then they wouldn't have attacked you."

"But I'm okay. I mean, they didn't hurt me or anything." Emily said in an attempt to make him feel better.

"But I can't guarantee that you'll be okay next time." He said. They were both silent a moment before Emily asked another question that had been nagging her.

"What did he mean when he said he needed to report something? What did he have to report?" Sub-Zero didn't answer for awhile.

"I don't know." He said finally before walking off. Emily sighed before running to catch up with him.

Why did she have to ask that? Sub-Zero had a slight idea what the guy was going to report, but he wasn't about to tell her what it was. He didn't quite understand it himself. The man's taunting words lingered in his mind. _"Getting a bit attached are we?"_ That wasn't true in the slightest. But it would be bad if his enemies sought to get at him through her. Raiden had charged him with her care, and he would be failing in his duty if she died. Besides, even if he was getting a bit attached to her, it was in the way a teacher favored a student, nothing more. His eyes narrowed. Or was it?

---------------------------------------------------

The man that attacked Sub-Zero stood in a dark room that was dimly lit with candles. In front of him sat a figure that was cast into shadow. Kneeling down on one knee, he spoke.

"I bring word of one of Raiden's chosen warriors'."

"Ah, and which of these warriors do you bring me news of?" The figure asked.

"The one with Sub-Zero. All three girls have started their training, but it appears that Sub-Zero's become attached to his pupil. Though he doesn't know it yet." The figure chuckled before speaking.

"Well, this is most interesting. I'd never dreamed that something like this would happen. Rokell!"

"Yes!"

"Go and continue to watch these girls progress. Do not make yourself known to them, I want to wait and see what happens. Be sure to tell me if the others start to show… favoritism towards their student." Rokell nodded before getting up and leaving. Once he was gone the figure leaned back in their chair and smiled.

"Lets see how long you last boys."

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Author's note: There's chapter seven. I hope you enjoy.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine.

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Chapter Eight

One month later

Toni lay on her back in the dirt. She didn't move, it hurt to move, so she just lay there. She heard someone walk up to her and felt something kick the bottom of her boot.

"Get up." Toni sighed but didn't move. She looked up to see Scorpion standing there. His muscular form outlined by the blazing sun that shown directly overhead. She couldn't see his face that well, but she knew he was glaring at her. With a small huff, she turned her head to the side and closed her eyes. Sure she was being stubborn, but after all, he deserved it. It was thanks to him that she was so beat up and sore. So he could stand there and glare at her all he wanted to. She wasn't moving.

Scorpion felt his eye twitch as the girl stubbornly refused to get up. Little brat. He knew he never should have let Raiden get him to do this. It was a waste of his time. Growling, he walked around by the girls head and knelt down, balancing on his toes. Reaching behind him, he pulled out the shorter of his two kitanas'.

Toni's eyes flew open at the clang of metal to find Scorpion's sword driven in the ground a few inches from her face.

"I'll tell you for the last time. Get up." He said before getting up and walking back over to his original spot a couple feet away. Giving a sigh of annoyance, Toni pushed herself up and grabbed the sword. She still clearly remembered when he'd started training her with it.

_Flashback_

"_Are you any good with weapons?" The question came out of nowhere. Toni stopped stretching and looked at Scorpion._

"_What?" Scorpion seemed a bit annoyed at having to repeat the question but he did anyway._

"_I said, are you any good with weapons?" Toni shook her head. Scorpion sighed before pulling out the shorter of his two swords._

"_Here." He said, holding it out to her. "Your gonna need to learn how to use a weapon sooner or later so I might as well teach you now."_

_End Flashback_

That had been at the beginning of the month. She'd done well for the most part. She'd learned all the attacks Scorpion taught her but he still didn't seem satisfied. In fact, since he'd started training her with a sword he'd become a lot meaner, if that was even possible.

Scorpion saw the girl wince as she got up and a strange feeling ran through him. Was it guilt? His eyes narrowed. He didn't have time to be feeling guilty for the girl, pain came with training. It was something that she'd have to learn to live with. The minute she got up she lunged at him to start what would yet again be another sparring match. In truth, the girl wasn't that bad. She'd learned every move he'd taught her and she used them all at the right time in battle. The only reason she lost to him was just because he had more experience than her. But he kept pushing her because there was still something about her fighting that he hadn't uncovered. Her elemental magic. He could sense it in her, but he didn't know how to get her to tap into it. It seemed that it reacted to her emotions mostly, so he'd been pushing her harder and harder. He wanted to find her breaking point. Blocking her last attack, he pushed her sword off to the side.

"That was pathetic. If you want to land a hit on me then you need to at least try." He watched as she stiffened and without warning found her sword coming at his neck in an upward swing.

'_What the-!'_ Moving his sword, he blocked her swing just before it reached him. That's when he felt it. Her overall frustration at him had turned into something more. She had reached her breaking point. With a growl she shoved him back with her sword, catching him on the arm as she finished her swing. Scorpion looked down at his arm to see the blood running down it. Was it just him, or had the brat gotten faster? Looking up from his arm he stared at her, trying to see her eyes, but he couldn't. They were being overshadowed by her bangs. Just then an idea formed in Scorpion's mind. Stepping back, he hesitated a moment before lunging at her. The girl didn't jump out of the way, she didn't even bring the sword up to defend herself.

'_What the hells she doing?'_ Scorpion thought as he got almost directly in front of her. His thoughts were answered when she held her hand out towards him, it looked a lot like Raiden when he threw lightning as someone. For a second nothing happened, and then something slammed full force into Scorpion, throwing him backwards and slamming him into a nearby tree.

Toni's anger subsided the instant she saw Scorpion slam into the tree and slide down the trunk to the ground. She didn't know how she'd done that, it was on an instinct. She'd just lost it while they were fighting. Of course, Scorpion acting like a butt-head had a lot to do with it too. Pushing these thoughts to the side, she ran over to where Scorpion lay against the tree. He hadn't moved and she hoped he wasn't dead. Again.

Scorpion shook the stars out of his eyes and looked up to see Toni standing over him with a worried expression on her face.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she kneeled down beside him. He wondered what she meant for a moment before feeling the pain in his back. He gritted his teeth. Crap that hurt. He wished Raiden would have given him a warning that her element was wind. Though Raiden claimed not to know anything about that. A likely story. At least he hadn't broken anything when he slammed into the tree though.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…" Toni started, but Scorpion cut her off.

"No. You did exactly what I wanted you to do. I've taught you everything you need to know. Now all that's left is for you to master your element." A look of confusion crossed over the girls face. "My element?" Scorpion sighed even though it hurt to do so.

"You're an elemental. Raiden informed us that you three were elementals before we started training you." The girl frowned at this information.

"And you didn't see fit to tell me this because?"

"You didn't need to know." Scorpion replied as he tried to sit up further. Pain ran down his back, making him grimace. Feeling something running down his arm, he looked down to see that it was still bleeding where she cut him.

Toni followed Scorpion's gaze to see the blood running down his arm and she flinched. Blood didn't bother her that much but she still felt guilty about it. She had forgotten that she'd even cut him. It seemed pretty minor compared to slamming him in a tree, but seeing it now…

Scorpion saw the guilt in her eyes as she looked at his arm.

"I'm fine. It's not as bad as it looks." He said as he pushed himself up the rest of the way. It hurt to stand but he had to get up eventually. Once he was up he looked over at the girl. Why had he even said that to her? It wasn't like he cared whether or not she felt guilty. For that matter, he didn't really care about anything that involved her. The tournament would be coming up soon and after that he could get back to his quest for revenge, without having to worry about some annoying girl. Until then though, he would have to put up with her.

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Author's note: Hi, sorry I haven't updated in so long. I'm still really busy. Okay, you might be wondering why I made the girls elementals. It's because one, it will come into play further on in the story. And two, I'm just into weird stuff like that so please enjoy. And if your wondering, Scorpion is my favorite character.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine.

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Chapter Nine

Ellen walked out into the meadow. She hadn't been able to find Ermac anywhere and had decided to check out here as a last resort. Not seeing him in the meadow Ellen let out a frustrated sigh.

'_Where could he be?'_ She thought to herself. Hearing a noise behind her, she turned to see Ermac standing there.

"Oh Ermac! I've been looking for you." Ermac didn't answer, he just slowly started towards Ellen.

"Um Ermac? What are you do-!" She cut off and ducked as his fist came at her face. Coming up, she threw a punch back at him. Bringing up his arm, Ermac blocked Ellen's punch and redirected it so it went harmlessly past his head. Spinning around, she kicked him square in the stomach, knocking him backwards. Catching his balance, Ermac flipped and landed in a crouch a few feet away. Without warning he threw a broken limb from a nearby tree at her with his telekinesis. Ducking under the flying branch, Ellen came up just in time to see a flash of metal. She jumped out of the way as Ermac's axe sliced through the air where she'd been moments before.

'_Well this isn't very fair.'_ She thought as she jumped over the axe as it was swung in a low sweep at her ankles. She kicked at his chest but he blocked it with the broad side of his axe. Using the momentum of the kick, Ellen pushed off the axe and landed on her feet. Ermac swung the axe again, this time aiming for her torso. Sidestepping his attack, Ellen jumped forward and caught him in the jaw with her fist. The blow caught him off guard and he lost his balance, falling backwards. Walking over to him, Ellen was taken by surprise when his leg shot out and knocked her feet out from under her.

"Ow!" She said as she hit the ground. Ermac jumped up in the air and came down with his axe aimed straight at her head.

"Crap!" She said as she held up her hands without thinking. A long wooden staff with a pointed, green jewel on the end of it appeared in her hands. With a clang, the staff stopped the axe as if it were made of metal and not wood. Bringing up her foot, Ellen kicked Ermac causing him to fly over her head and land behind her. They were up on their feet at the same time. Circling each other. In one swift motion Ellen knocked Ermac's feet out from under him and had the sharp end of the staff at his throat.

"That was very good. You beat us." He said as he sat up. Ellen stood there examining the staff in her hands.

"Where did this come from?" She asked.

"We imagine you summoned it. This means you've finally unlocked your elemental magic."

"My what?"

"You're an elemental. As is your sister and your friend. From the looks of things, it appears that your element is earth." Ah, so that's why he refused to teach her telekinesis. He knew she already had this power.

"So this is why you wouldn't teach me telekinesis?" She asked. Ermac nodded. Ellen was about to ask more when she noticed a sharp pain in her leg. Looking down, she saw that her leg had a long horizontal cut running along the calf. Blood was already running down her leg to stain her sock a bright red.

'_How did I not notice?'_ She thought in surprise. She looked up to see Ermac staring at her leg.

"Your hurt!" He said in surprise.

"Oh its nothing." Ellen said as she tried to brush it off. In truth, it hurt quite a bit. Before she could say any more she felt a hand wrap around her ankle. She looked down to see Ermac examining the cut on her leg.

"It's really not that bad." Ellen said. He ignored her, however, and continued looking at her leg. It surprised her at how careful he was being. His touch was so light it was almost as if he wasn't touching her at all. Ellen found herself blushing at her thoughts.

"Its not that deep but you should bandage it up all the same." Ermac said as he looked up at her.

"Okay." Ellen said as she started to walk off. Or rather, **tried** to walk off. She stopped when she noticed that Ermac's hand was still around her ankle. Looking back she saw that he was still staring at her. Ellen didn't quite know what it was, but something in Ermac's gaze froze her in place. She didn't know how long they stared at each other but she was finally able to get her voice back.

"Um… Ermac? We should probably go back to the house." He blinked. As if he were coming out of a trance. And stood up.

"Your right. Let's go." He said as he started off. Ellen stood there awhile. Watching Ermac's retreating figure.

'_What the heck was that?'_

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Author's note: Hi, its me again. I never realized how short this chapter was. I apologize for that. I'm going to try and update again on my regular schedule because I'll be gone all of next week. So here's chapter nine. I hope you enjoy.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own nothing that doesn't belong to me.

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Chapter Ten

'_I wonder what he wants.'_ Emily thought to herself as she made her way to the field where she and Sub-Zero held their training sessions. Their training had gone over well for the past month, but yesterday Sub-Zero had told her to meet him out here. He'd said it was important. Though with him most things **were** important. She'd yet to see him act carefree about something. When she reached the field she found Sub-Zero standing in the middle of it with his back to her.

'_Figures he'd already be here.'_ Emily thought. Hearing her approach, Sub-Zero turned to face her. They stared at each other for awhile until Sub-Zero spoke. Breaking the silence.

"You've finally arrived. Good. Now we can get started."

"Um. Do you mind telling me why I'm out here at least?" Emily asked.

"You are here for a test." Came the simple reply.

"A test?" She had never been good at tests. Especially so early in the morning. "What kind of test?"

"That." Sub-Zero said. "Is what you're about to find out." With lightning fast motion he threw a ball of ice at her. Emily jumped to the side, barely avoiding the icy cold blast. If she'd been half asleep before, then she was wide awake now.

"Well **that** was a rude awakening." She said in a sarcastic tone. Sub-Zero didn't respond. He just threw another ball of ice at her. Moving faster this time, Emily dodged the attack and ran at Sub-Zero, hoping to force him to fight in hand-to-hand combat so that he couldn't use his ice attacks.

"Trying to fight me up close?" He asked, sending off yet another ice attack. Emily frowned and disappeared in a blur, reappearing behind Sub-Zero. Bringing up her foot, she aimed a kick at the side of his head. In the blink of an eye his hand shot up and caught her foot before it collided with his head. Grabbing her ankle with his other hand, Sub-Zero threw her around in front of him. Emily crashed into the ground hard enough to feel the breathe leave her. Rolling, she came to a stop in a crouch. Looking over at Sub-Zero, she growled. "So you want to play that way huh?" Sub-Zero jumped forward and swung a punch at Emily's head. She jumped back, avoiding the punch, and started to deliver a punch of her own when she saw the sun reflecting off of something in Sub-Zero's other hand. Whatever it was it glittered a lot like…

'_A sword! Crap!!'_ Emily ducked down in a crouch just as Sub-Zero swung the sword around in a glittering arc. She had forgotten about the kori blade he wielded, and now she was at a disadvantage due to her lack of a weapon.

'_Oh well.'_ She thought as she swung her leg out, knocking Sub-Zero off his feet. She used the time she had to jump up and put distance between them. She stood there for a moment before noticing the air around her was getting cooler.

"What the-?!" Sub-Zero jerked up his hand and an ice cold geyser of air shot up around Emily. She should have felt the pain of being turned into an ice cube. But instead she felt her body getting hotter. That's when she noticed that the icy air around her wasn't even affecting her. Looking down, she found the cause. An aura made entirely of flames had encased her body like armor. Putting up a barrier between her and the ice.

'_Did I do this?'_ She thought in disbelief. Without warning the flames and the icy geyser disappeared to reveal Sub-Zero lunging at her. Emily dodged out of the way but she wasn't quite fast enough to avoid his sword.

"Argh!" Her hand automatically went to the wound on her arm, which already had blood running down it. Sub-Zero brought the blade back up and swung it around again. This time aiming for her neck.

'_If only I had a weapon!'_ Emily thought frantically as she closed her eyes and threw her arms up by reflex. She opened her eyes when she heard the unmistakable clang of metal on metal, only to have them grow wider at what she saw. She was now holding twin swords and had them crossed in an x to block Sub-Zero's blade. The swords were about as long as Sub-Zero's, with large, one-sided blades that were shaped in a zigzag pattern close to the hilt and straightened out as they got closer to the point. The blades slightly curved upward, and a red stripe colored the top part of the blades.

'_Did I summon these?'_ Emily asked herself. _'But more importantly. Now I just might be able to win this.'_ She pushed forward, pushing Sub-Zero back and knocking him off balance. Using the opportunity, she knocked the kori blade out of his hands and kicked him square in the chest. Knocking him to the ground. Pouncing, she landed sitting on his chest with her blades forming an x over his throat.

"I win." She said with a smile. Sub-Zero stared at her for awhile before sighing.

"Fine. You win." He said. The swords disappeared from Emily's hands in a blaze as she smiled at him. Without warning, he grabbed her wrists before she could get up.

"W-what are you doing?!" She stuttered as he pulled her down so that her face was a couple of inches from his.

"I just wanted to tell you congratulations. You were able to beat me and unlock your elemental magic." A confused look crossed Emily's face, and she forgot about the current position she was in.

"My elemental what?"

"Magic. You and your friends are elementals. Raiden told us that as least one of you would have an element opposite her teacher's. So it was you."

"But if my elements fire. Why wasn't Scorpion my teacher?" Though she was perfectly happy with Sub-Zero being her teacher. A low chuckle sounded deep in Sub-Zero's throat.

"I'm your teacher… because you chose me to be so." He said in a deep voice. Emily was suddenly reminded of the position she was in. She could feel Sub-Zero's finely toned muscles through his clothing and his hands were gently but firmly wrapped around her wrists, ensuring that her escape was impossible. His mask was still on. But that didn't do much because Emily found herself staring straight into his brilliant blue eyes. They were the kind of eyes that reminded her of the ocean. Dark, bottomless, and unpredictable. They could be as bright and clear as tropical waters one minute and as dark and cloudy as a stormy sea the next. They were the type of eyes one could find themselves drowning in, as Emily did now. Somehow she was able to find her voice.

"Um. I really need to get back to the house so… could you let me go please." Sub-Zero blinked before releasing her. Getting up, he watched her retreating figure as she vanished into the woods.

'_Why did I do that?'_ Sub-Zero silently asked himself. _'I usually have more self-control then that…' _He pondered on it a bit more before deciding to blame it on the summer heat.

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Author's note: There you have it. Chapter ten. I'm going to band camp this Sunday so I won't be able to update this coming week. I apologize for any spelling mistakes in this and the last chapter. And I thank you for bringing them to my attention. This wasn't a very good chapter in my opinion but I hope you enjoy it none-the-less.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine.

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Chapter Eleven

Four days before the tournament

The blazing summer sun shone down on two figures facing each other in the afternoon heat. Without warning the figures blurred, and the ringing of metal on metal echoed as their swords clashed.

"Hmph. Your too predictable." Scorpion said in disapproval. Toni smirked.

"Oh I am, am I?" She disappeared and reappeared behind him. Scorpion turned just in time to find the point of her sword directly under his throat.

"I may be predictable. But that doesn't mean I'm slow." She said with a smile before lowering her sword. Scorpion watched as she walked over to sit in the shade of a nearby tree and he found himself staring at the sword that rested beside her. She had stopped using his sword once she'd learned how to summon her own. The sword was a kitana, and was about as long as the bigger of Scorpion's two swords. White leather was wrapped around the handle, and the guard was plated in gold. The blade was so light it looked white, especially in the sun. It was a fancy sword. Scorpion thought. It looked as though it had been crafted for a wind goddess. Scorpion snorted as the thought crossed his mind. There was no way this brat could be a goddess. **That** he was sure of.

"Are you okay?" Scorpion looked down to see Toni staring at him with a curious look on her face.

"What?" He asked flatly.

"You usually don't snort unless you have a good reason."

"Oh I had a good reason."

"Mm. Okay then." Toni had been around Scorpion long enough to know that he didn't like sharing his thoughts with others. So even if she bugged him all day he still wouldn't tell her. "Well I'm gonna go get ready." She said as she started walking off.

"Get ready for what?" Scorpion asked in an annoyed voice.

"I'm going to spend the night over at Emily and Ellen's."

"Oh no you're not!" He said moving to stand in front of her.

"And why not?" She asked in a calm voice.

"It's only four days until the tournament. You need to be training instead of slacking off." Much to his surprise Toni started laughing. Her laughter briefly made him forget why he was standing there blocking her path. She had a very nice laugh now that he thought abo- No! He was **not** going there! He was brought from his thoughts by her voice.

"Scorpion, you've been training me non-stop for the past four months. Everyone needs a break now and then." She moved to walk around him but he moved to block her again.

"Oh yeah. And what if you go off and get hurt because you didn't spend these last few days training." He saw a surprised look cross her face before she quickly hid it. Hell, he was surprised himself. He had meant to say something else, but that had come out before he could stop it. What was wrong with him lately. A sly grin spread across Toni's face.

"You know. If I didn't know any better, I would say that your worried about me." She said. Scorpion snorted. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not." She said with a small smile. Scorpion glared down at her for a moment before turning and walking off.

"Fine. But if you get hurt in the tournament don't come crying to me."

Later that night

The girls sat in the bedroom talking about what had happened over the past four months. They had kicked the guys out first thing, except for Scorpion, who had stayed back at Toni's house. The conversation had died out and it was silent a moment before Emily spoke.

"Um. Have Scorpion or Ermac been acting weird lately?" She then proceeded to tell them what had happened between her and Sub-Zero a few months ago.

"He hasn't been the same since then." She said. "I mean. He acts normal enough. But its like he's lost some of his cool composure." Toni and Ellen looked at each other before looking back at Emily.

"What? What is it?" She asked looking from her sister's face to her friend's.

"Hello! Earth to the dumb one! Can't you see it?" Ellen asked in an exasperated tone.

"It's completely obvious!" Toni said.

"What is?"

"That he's fallen for you." Ellen said.

"But the question is. Do you love him?" Toni added. Emily thought for a moment. Did she really love Sub-Zero? He was her favorite character sure. But had her simple affection grown into something more?

"I don't really know." She said finally.

"Sounds to me like you do." Toni said with a grin. Emily's cheeks turned red as she pointed at Toni. "Oh yeah! Well what about you and Scorpion?" Toni stared at her wide-eyed in surprise for a moment before smiling.

"Maybe I do like him. But that idiot couldn't love a fencepost."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Now it was Emily's turn to grin. "He could change you know." Toni snorted in response. "Somehow I find that very unlikely." Both girls turned to Ellen.

"What about you?" Toni asked. Ellen looked at her hands.

"Well, um. I-I don't really know. I mean, I don't think he likes me that way."

"He doesn't act weird around you or anything?" Toni asked. Ellen paused for a moment. "Actually, he does a little bit. It's almost like he doesn't **know** how to act around me." Emily looked at Toni before turning back to her sister.

"It sounds like he likes you but hasn't realized it yet. I doubt Ermac's ever fallen in love before. It's so cute!" Ellen picked up a nearby pillow and smacked her sister in the head with it.

"You are so stupid!" She said as a stunned Emily fell off the bed and onto the floor. The girls continued on with their conversation. Not knowing that their thoughts were being shared by others.

---------------------------------------------

Sub-Zero sat in the field where he usually trained Emily. The field was brightly lit by the pale illumination of the full moon. Making visibility very easy. Since the girls had kicked him and Ermac out, he had decided to go meditate. That soon turned out to be a challenge, as a certain person's face kept popping up in his mind. He opened his eyes and silently cursed under his breath. Why was he thinking of her so much lately? He thought back to the incident he'd had with her a few months ago. Why had he even done that? He had way more self control then that. Or at least he thought he had. Hearing a noise behind him, Sub-Zero turned to see Ermac standing there.

"We thought we would find you here." He said as he came up and sat across from Sub-Zero. Sub-Zero looked at Ermac a moment. Debating on whether or not to tell his friend what was on his mind. With a small sigh, Sub-Zero finally decided to at least ask Ermac's opinion.

"Ermac. Do you ever see Ellen as more than just a student?" Ermac, who had been quietly sitting there with his eyes closed, opened them and stared at Sub-Zero. It was a slightly unnerving sight, seeing Ermac's eyes at night. Sub-Zero had grown used to it a long time ago however.

"What do you mean by that question?"

'_I mean do you think your starting to fall in love with her.'_ Sub-Zero thought. But instead he asked. "Do you find yourself thinking about her more than usual?"

"Yes." Ermac answered without hesitation. "We are worried about her in the tournament." He looked pointedly at Sub-Zero. "Are you not worried about Emily?" Sub-Zero felt his breath catch as he remembered what happened to those who lost against Shang-Tsung. He would take their soul. Whatever happened they could not lose. Sub-Zero sighed.

"I suppose we should both worry about Toni. I doubt Scorpion cares what happens to her." Ermac nodded. "We will just have to be twice as careful."

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Authors note: First of all, I am sooo sorry. I needed to take a break from all the fighting and training, and apparently when I take a break in a story I write chick flick scenes where we all get together and talk about our 'feelings'. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But now you know why I don't take very many breaks. And I won't be updating for awhile because I still haven't finished chapter twelve. So it may be awhile. Please forgive me.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine.

* * *

Chapter Twelve

The next few days passed by uneventfully until Raiden came to take the girls to the boat that would bring them to Shang-Tsung's island. Where the tournament was to be held.

"Remember." He told the girls before they boarded the boat. "Once we're on Shang-Tsung's island, I will have no authority. You needn't worry though. Sub-Zero, Scorpion, and Ermac will be with you. They will protect you, but they are not allowed to interfere with a match. So you must be careful." With that he disappeared in a blinding flash of lightning.

"Kinda hard to be careful when you can't see anything." Emily muttered as she rubbed her eyes. She was met with mutters of agreement. The group boarded the boat and soon enough it pulled away from the dock and out into the vast, quiet ocean.

One hour later

Sub-Zero and Ermac stood off to one side of the boat talking, Emily and Ellen sat a ways in front of them on some crates and sacks, and Toni had wandered to the side of the boat and stood looking out over the water. Scorpion was nowhere to be found, probably off sulking somewhere Sub-Zero thought. He and Ermac had made sure all three girls stayed in their sight. It wasn't the other competitors that bothered him. No, they were nothing to worry about. The one that worried him was Shang-Tsung. Sub-Zero knew the demon sorcerer was somewhere on the boat, and he would no doubt try to approach the girls once he saw them. They just had to stay alert.

Toni stood watching the moon reflect off of the dark ocean water. Everyone on the boat was doing their own thing, so she was left to her own thoughts. Unfortunatly though, the only thoughts in her mind were of a certain ninja specter. Why was she even thinking of him anyways? She could've been thinking about more important things. Like if she and her friends were going to live through the tournament. But no, her thoughts were focused on an idiot who had no other cares except for his quest for revenge. Speaking of Scorpion, where was he anyway? Toni looked around to find that Scorpion was nowhere in sight. She sighed before turning back to the water. He was probably mad that he couldn't kill Shang-Tsung even though they were on the same boat. She hadn't seen the demon sorcerer yet and she hoped she wouldn't. She had never liked him anyway.

"Ah. So you are one of Raiden's chosen warriors." Toni spun around to see a man dressed in bright red robes, almost like Ermac's . His long, black hair fell to rest at his shoulders, and he had an equally black mustache and beard. Toni didn't need to be told who he was though, she already knew.

'_Shang-Tsung!'_ He smiled at the look on her face.

"I see you already know me." He said in a heavily accented voice. "Allow me to thoroughly introduce myself. I am Shang-Tsung. And you must be Toni. I am honored to meet you." He bowed to her. She waited until he straightened back up before speaking.

"What do you want?" She was usually polite to people but she considered Shang-Tsung an exception. He continued as if he hadn't noticed.

"Why I just wanted to meet you, that's all." Toni's eyes narrowed. "Oh really. Why me? Why didn't you go to Emily, or Ellen?"

"Ah. But of course. I was going to talk to them after I was done with you."

'_Yeah right. You just approached me because my 'guard' isn't here.'_ Toni thought. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sub-Zero and Ermac watching carefully. Ready to spring forward at the nearest sign of danger. But Shang-Tsung wouldn't be stupid enough to attack her now. Not unless he wanted his ass barbecued by Raiden. They were still in the Thunder God's domain, and they would be until they reached the island. On top of that, it was against the rules to fight before the tournament. By now Shang-Tsung had noticed Sub-Zero and Ermac and had decided to make his leave.

"Well there are things I must be attending to. It was a pleasure to meet you." He said as he took a step towards her. In a blur of gold, Scorpion was standing in front of Toni, blocking her from Shang-Tsung.

"Scorpion!" Toni stared at his back in surprise. She'd begun to think he wasn't even on the boat. Sub-Zero and Ermac, who had started forward, stopped dead in their tracks, staring at Scorpion in disbelief.

"If you so much as lay one finger on her. I'll gladly rip your arm off and beat you to death with it." Scorpion growled. Shang-Tsung snarled. Finally dropping the 'polite' façade.

"Ah, Scorpion. I had thought you weren't on the boat. To much to hope for I see."

"You'd be wise to watch your back. I don't need another excuse to kill you." Scorpion said. Shang-Tsung smirked. "Oh yes. Other then the fact that you're to weak to make a scratch on me."

"What!" Scorpion growled as he started forward. Without thinking, Toni reached out and put her hand on Scorpion's arm. He glared at her, but held back from attacking Shang-Tsung. At the sight of this, and amused smirk spread across Shang-Tsung's face.

"Ah. I am pleased to see you keep your dog on a short leash." He said to Toni. Her eyes narrowed and she moved to stand in front of Scorpion, who looked ready to rip Shang-Tsung limb from limb.

"I can't do anything now because of the tournaments rules. But trust me. When I get the chance, I'm gonna put a dent in that ugly thing you call a face." She said in a low voice.

"I'll look forward to that." Shang-Tsung said before walking off. Toni stood there, watching his retreating figure as it disappeared below deck.

"Why did you do that?" Came the gruff question from behind her. Turning, she saw Scorpion staring down at her.

"Do what?" She asked.

"Stop me." She pondered it for a moment. Truthfully she didn't know why she had stopped him. She had done it without thinking.

"I guess I did it because I don't want you to get into trouble." She said hesitantly. Scorpion snorted.

"That's it? That's the only reason you stopped me?" Toni felt her cheeks heat up at his question.

"And why else would I stop you huh?" She asked defensively. Scorpion's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"I don't need you looking out for me okay. I can take care of myself."

"Fine! Be that way!" Toni shouted before they stormed off in different directions. All the while Sub-Zero, Ermac, Emily, and Ellen stood there watching this argument take place.

"What was that all about?" Ermac muttered to Sub-Zero as Toni stormed past them. Sub-Zero watched Emily and Ellen follow her before he looked at Scorpion, who was on the other end of the ship.

"I have no idea."

* * *

Author's note: Hi, I'm back. Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've had one of the worst cases of writer's block ever. Hopefully I'm getting over it though. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

"I welcome you all to my island for the Mortal Kombat tournament." Shang-Tsung said to the crowd of warriors gathered before him. "I wish you all luck in the tournament, and would like to inform you that the winning competitor will have the honor of facing our reining champion." He paused a moment. Taking the time to scan the back wall of the room until his eyes settled on the three girls and their guardians. Or rather, the three girls and **two** of their guardians. Scorpion had once again disappeared. It probably had something to do with the argument he had with the girl. A small smile spread across Shang-Tsung's face. Such a pity that the ninja specter wasn't protecting her. That just made it that much easier to get rid of her. Then he could take care of the other two.

"But for now I wish for you all to enjoy your feast."

Several minutes later

"So what are we gonna do about Shang-Tsung?" Emily asked. They sat at the end of one of the long tables, eating with the rest of the competitors.

"You don't need to worry about that." Sub-Zero told her. "We'll keep an eye on Shang-Tsung. You just concentrate on winning against your opponents."

"I wonder who our opponents will be." Ellen said.

"We will not know until it is time to face them. Which puts us at a disadvantage." Ermac replied.

"Mm… hey Toni. Where did Scorpion go?" Emily asked.

"How should I know. I don't dictate what the idiot does." Came the annoyed reply.

"I take it you're still mad at him then?" Emily said with a sweat drop. The look she received clearly said 'yes'.

"Well, fight or no fight. He needs to be here." Sub-Zero said in a disapproving voice.

"I **am** here." A voice growled from behind Toni. Sub-Zero looked behind her to see the irritated ninja specter standing there.

"Well could you make it apparent to everyone else instead of just disappearing randomly." Sub-Zero growled. He was answered with a snort.

Scorpion stood there glaring at Sub-Zero for awhile before he felt a chill run through him. Looking down, he saw Toni sitting there glaring at him.

"What the hells your problem?" He asked coldly. She didn't answer, but instead turned back around with a 'humph'. Scorpion felt his eye twitch. Little brat. Just as he was about to give her a piece of his mind Sub-Zero stood up.

"I think it best that we go on to bed. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow." The girls looked around and noticed that everyone else was leaving as well.

"Guess we'd better get going then." Emily said as she started to follow Sub-Zero. Scorpion watched as Toni followed the others through the doorway before he started after them. What was her problem anyway? He couldn't remember doing anything to her to make her mad. Unless she was still angry at him over the fight they had on the boat. Why did he even care in the first place? She would be out of his life soon anyway, so there was no need to get worked up over some stupid argument he'd had with her.

'_None at all.'_

* * *

The next day the girls were led with the rest of the warriors to an outdoor arena. Shang-Tsung sat in a chair at one end of the arena, and he stood once everyone had gathered there.

"This is where you will participate in the first round of the competition."

"I wonder who's gonna go first." Emily whispered. Before they could answer, Shang-Tsung's voice rang out.

"Emily. You are our first contestant."

"Oh crap." Emily muttered.

"Come on Emily. You'll do fine." Ellen said to her.

"Yeah. I'm sure you can beat any of these guys." Toni added.

"Thanks." Emily said before she walked up onto the arena.

"And now for your opponent." Shang-Tsung said as he pointed to a building a few feet away. In response, the doors opened and a figure came out to stand in the sunlight. Emily stood speechless as the person walked up to stand across from her in the arena. Toni and Ellen gasped as they saw who it was. And behind them they heard the same from Sub-Zero.

"No! It can't be!"

* * *

Authors note: Hello again. Man, this chapter is hokey. Oh well. I hope you're still able to enjoy it despite it's flaws. Hopefully I'm getting back into my writing grove, but I still can't be sure. It's coming back to me though.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

Before Emily stood the last person she thought she would ever have to face.

"Noob Saibot!" Noob said nothing, but got down into a fighting stance. Toni and Ellen looked behind them to see Sub-Zero staring at his older brother in a mixture of shock and horror.

"I thought I'd killed him." Scorpion growled.

"You **did** kill him." Sub-Zero answered. "But he was brought back." The conversation was cut short as another voice rang out over the area.

"Little brother." Noob said in a deep voice as he turned to Sub-Zero. "Do you think this weak young girl can possibly defeat me?" In one swift motion he disappeared and reappeared holding Emily up by her neck.

"NO!!" Sub-Zero shouted as he started forward. Before he could go more than two steps however, Ermac grabbed his shoulder.

"You cannot interfere or she will have to forfeit." He said when Sub-Zero looked back at him.

"That's right brother." Noob said before throwing Emily to the ground. Placing his boot on her chest, he leaned onto his leg until she cried out.

"You see now?" He said to Sub-Zero, who was glaring at him. "You can't stop me no matter what I do to her." He leaned onto his leg again, making her cry out once more. Sub-Zero flinched despite his efforts not to. Noob laughed.

"You can't hide it brother. It's easy to see you've fallen for this weak girl. I wonder. How long do you think you can watch her suffer before you try to intervene? Let's see shall we?" He laughed again, but was cut off as a flash of metal went flying at his throat. Jumping back, he growled as he flicked the oil off of a cut on his cheek.

Emily pulled herself up with her sword, her other hand clutching at her ribs.

"You bastard." She growled.

"Ah. So you can still move. But that won't be enough to help you beat me." Noob said as he too stood up.

"Shut up!" Emily growled as she summoned her other sword. "A 'weak girl' huh? I'll make you eat those words."

"I'll enjoy watching you try." Noob said. Emily frowned and disappeared. Noob looked around a moment before jumping back as her swords came crashing down on the place where he'd just been standing. He lunged at her, aiming a destructive punch at her face. Bringing up her sword, Emily blocked his attack. Seeing a movement out of the corner of her eye, she looked down in time to see his other fist collide with her ribs in a sickening crunch. Flying backwards, she landed hard on her back. Knocking the wind out of her. Rolling over, she coughed out a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

"See. You're already beginning to cough up blood. Why don't you just give up. I promise I'll kill you quickly." Noob taunted.

"Never."

Noob sighed at her response before continuing.

"Well then. I guess you're going to have to learn the hard way." In one swift motion he pulled out several shuriken and threw them at her. Jumping to the side, Emily dodged all the shuriken. But she wasn't quite fast enough for one.

"AARGH!!" She let out a pained yell as the piece of metal embedded itself deep in her thigh. Falling to one knee, she reached over and pulled the throwing star out of her leg. It clattered to the ground along with a good deal of blood. Forcing herself up on her feet again. She turned and glared at Noob.

"I've grown bored with this. I think it's high time I kill you and leave." He said as he got ready to attack.

"I don't think so." Emily growled as she began swinging one of her swords at her side like a rotary blade. A chain of fire appeared around the sword and she swung it at Noob. The chain wrapped itself around him, holding him in place. Taking aim. Emily threw her other sword at Noob. The sword flew across the arena and clean through his chest. Embedding itself there like a knife in butter. Noob's eyes widened as oil began to run from the corners of his mouth and his chest, turning the bright silver of the blade black.

Emily stood there for a moment. Watching as Noob slowly bled to death. She let out a pained sigh and both of her swords disappeared in a blaze. Which didn't do Noob any favors seeing as how one was stuck through him. He fell to his knees before falling over completely. Before anyone could move, Smoke appeared beside Noob.

"Damn it." Emily growled. She didn't have the energy to fight Smoke. It was taking everything she had to keep from falling over like Noob had. Smoke looked up at her before picking Noob up and disappearing. A weak grin slowly spread across Emily's face.

"I win." She said before falling to her knees.

* * *

Author's note: Hi, its me again. I know I haven't updated in a long time and I apologize to those of you who have given up on me. I recently finished writing this story, and hope to update the remaining chapters in the near future.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I own nothing that isn't mine.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

"Emily!!" Sub-Zero, finally free of Ermacs restraint, ran up onto the arena.

Emily was now down on all fours. She wanted to lay down so badly. Blood was running down her leg, and her ribs felt like they were on fire. She heard someone calling her name, but she didn't acknowledge it. That's when she felt someone pick her up and carry her off the arena. Looking up, she saw Sub-Zero with a look of worry and frustration gracing what features she could see of his face. Sighing, she leaned her head against his chest. She felt his gaze as he looked down at her, but she didn't care. She felt safe when she was with him.

Sub-Zero carried Emily past the others and laid her down on the ground. When she opened her eyes she found Raiden leaning over her. Sub-Zero began bandaging her leg while Raiden examined her ribs.

"It looks like he only bruised your ribs. That'll take awhile to heal, but not near as long as if they were broken. The wound on your leg should heal quickly too. Just don't push yourself too hard." He said before getting up and turning to the others.

"You must be extremely careful." He told Ellen and Toni. "I now know that Shang-Tsung has hired warriors to fight you three. You must be ready for anything." He was about to say more when Shang-Tsung cut him off.

"Ellen. You are next." Ellen walked out onto the arena. Shang-Tsung pointed into the crowd across from her.

"Ashrah." A woman dressed in white walked out of the crowd and came to stand across from Ellen. Ellen frowned. She hated Ashrah. The woman was dense. She was about to say something when Ashrah turned towards where Ermac was standing in the crowd.

"You!" She shouted as she pointed a finger at him. "I knew I'd find you here you demon!" Ellen, who was staring at Ashrah with a look that said 'you're stupid for ignoring me', turned to Ermac. His features were pulled down into a frown, and he was staring at Ashrah with a look of deep concentration. Then his eyes narrowed.

"Oh. It's you." He said in a flat voice. Ashrah stepped back with an insulted look upon her face.

"How dare you not remember me." She spat. "I will remind you when I slay you this time, demon!"

"We are not a demon." Ermac said in an agitated voice.

"Don't lie to me! There's no way you could have resided in the nether realm unless you were a demon!" She took out her sword and pointed it at him. "I will kill you with this sword if it's the last thing I do." She paused. "But first. I'm going to eliminate your student." She then pointed the sword at Ellen.

"I can't sense any demonic energy from you. But to be that demons student must mean you're a demon too!" Ellen looked at Ashrah with an annoyed expression on her face.

"Are you done yet?" She asked in a flat voice.

"Don't get smart with me demon!" Ashrah growled.

"Lady. If you call me a demon one more time, I'm gonna take that bent up butter knife of yours and beat you to death with it."

"Try it!" Ashrah shouted as she lunged at Ellen, swinging her sword at Ellen's legs. Jumping out of the way, Ellen stopped and glared as Ashrah faced her again. Feeling a stinging sensation on her leg, she looked down to see a red line form on her thigh.

"Okay lady. That's it!" Ellen said as her staff appeared in her hand. "My sister just got the crap beat out of her by an evil robot, and on top of that you're over here trying to kill me because you think I'm some evil demon. And just for cutting me with that ugly thing, I'm gonna beat the sense that you were apparently deprived of as a child into that thick head of yours!"

"You can talk big, girl. But it doesn't change the fact that you are a demon and I must slay you in order to get to your master." Ashrah said in a serious tone. Ellen gave a frustrated sigh.

"There you go with that demon crap again. Come over here! I'm sick of you!" Ashrah answered by running at Ellen. Who easily blocked her sword and brought her foot up to kick Ashrah in the chest. The kick knocked Ashrah back onto the floor. Getting up, Ashrah looked to see Ellen right in front of her. Spinning her staff in a counterclockwise arc, Ellen brought the end of it up to crash into Ashrah's chin, lifting her off the ground and throwing her backwards. She landed with a dull 'thud' on the floor, and after a few seconds sat up and glared at Ellen before spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"You little wretch." She growled. Ellen just looked down at her while resting her staff on her shoulder.

"I'll get you yet!" Ashrah yelled as she got up and threw a ball of white energy at Ellen. Sidestepping the energy ball, Ellen jumped up and brought her staff down on Ashrah's head with a loud crack.

"Ugh!" Ashrah's hands went to her head as she slumped over.

"Now. Let's get this straight." Ellen said calmly as she pressed the end of her staff to Ashrah's throat. "I am **not** a demon." Ashrah looked up at her and growled.

"Say what you like. I know the truth. I'll be back." With that she disappeared in a shower of white sparks. The staff disappeared from Ellen's hand and she turned to walk off the stage.

"You did well." Ermac said as she walked over to them. "We just have one question to ask you."

"What?"

"Are you sure you're not a demon?" Ellen felt her eye twitch.

WHACK!!!!!!

"Oww!"

* * *

Author's note: Hi, sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been busy. As always. But anyways, here's chapter fifteen. I hope you enjoy it, and if you're wondering I actually like Ashrah. But her obsession with killing Ermac is just a little annoying.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I own nothing that isn't mine.

Chapter Sixteen

The girls received a break when Shang-Tsung had started calling on other warriors from the crowd to compete against each other. The reason for this, as Shang-Tsung had informed them, was because the person who was to fight Toni was busy at the moment. So the girls waited, watching the fights, and after they had watched Shang-Tsung take the souls of several of the losers, the group began to talk amongst itself.

Ellen was ignoring Ermac. Who was continuously apologizing, all the while rubbing his head where she'd hit him. Toni was watching them in amusement, not knowing that Scorpion was watching her. When she turned to look at him however, he changed his expression to a glare and walked off.

Emily sat behind the rest of the group with Sub-Zero. She had stood to watch the other fights at first. Despite Sub-Zero's protests. He finally got her to lean on him to take pressure off her leg, and after watching Ellen's fight, she finally agreed to sit down.

This was how they were now, with Sub-Zero sitting cross legged on the ground, his arms crossed over his chest. And Emily leaning against his shoulder. He had closed his eyes, and was in the process of trying to meditate with all the racket going on around him when he heard Emily sigh.

"I'm sorry." Sub-Zero opened his eyes and looked down at her.

"What for?" He asked.

"For being weak. For not being able to beat Noob without getting hurt."

"Emily. Any one of you three would have gotten hurt if you'd fought Noob. My brother is not to be taken lightly, and if I'd known you would be fighting him I would've been more reluctant to let you fight." He paused before continuing. "But you won. Despite your injuries. And you aren't hurt as bad as you could've been. I'm just glad that you're okay." They sat there awhile more before Emily remembered something that Noob had said to Sub-Zero.

"Sub-Zero. Is what Noob said to you true?"

"What part?" He asked, already dreading what she would say.

"Where he said you'd fallen for me." Sub-Zero was quiet a moment before answering.

"My brother doesn't know what he's talking about." Emily became quiet at this. She could tell he didn't want to talk about the subject at hand so she left him alone.

Sub-Zero was partially grateful for the girl's silence. He didn't want to answer her question. He didn't even know **how** to answer her question. He knew he was starting to feel something for her. And he had a pretty good idea that it wasn't a 'just friends' feeling. But there was no way he was going to tell her. She probably didn't feel the same way about him, and he was too old for her anyways. Which brought up the question.

"How old are you?" He asked.

"Seventeen. Why?"

"No reason." Well, she wasn't as young as he thought. But it was still too young. Out of curiosity, he asked another slightly nosy question.

"How old are Ellen and Toni?"

"Ellen's my age and Toni's sixteen." Sub-Zero smiled and closed his eyes. At least Scorpion had more problems then he did.

The competition lasted until late in the evening. And by the time Shang-Tsung called Toni up to the arena the sun was beginning to set. Scorpion had come back from wherever he was sulking, and now stood with the rest of the group. He watched her walk up onto the arena and realized he was slightly worried. A scowl spread across his face. Why should he be worried about the brat. She was still mad at him for no reason, so she deserved anything that happened to her. But he still couldn't shake the feeling he had.

"So you're my opponent?" Raising his head to the sound of her voice, Scorpion let out a sound between a relaxed sigh and a strangled cry. Across from Toni stood a woman dressed in red and black. Her bright red hair was pulled into low pigtails, and the rest of it hung down over her eyes. Scorpion had had a few run-ins with the Black Dragon clan. And he'd never personally met Kira. But he'd heard rumors about her, and none of them were good. Kira looked Toni over before putting her hands on her hips.

"You've **got** to be kidding. **This** is what Raiden chooses as a warrior? A little girl?" She said with a heavy Australian accent. Toni frowned but didn't say anything.

"What's wrong little girl? Did I hurt your feelings?"

"No. You just showed me how incredibly stupid you are." This time it was Kiras turn to frown.

"What?" She asked in a low tone.

"You judge me by my age when you don't even know how I fight. A little full of yourself, don't you think." Toni said. Kira snarled and pulled her two Dragon Teeth knives out of her boots.

"I don't need to be good to beat a little brat like you!" She spat.

"Well when you put it like that…you make it sound like you're actually afraid of losing." Kira let out a shriek at the insult before running at Toni.

Swinging one of her knives down in the hope she would slit the younger girls throat, Kira let out a sound of surprise as her blade sliced nothing but air.

"That was close." Toni said as she appeared behind Kira. Kira spun around just in time to be blown off the arena by an unseen force. Toni remained where she was standing and waited until Kira dragged herself back onto the platform.

"Little wretch." She growled. "I won't give you another chance to do that." Without warning, Kira appeared in front of Toni. Once again swinging her knife at her targets throat. There was a clang of metal as Toni's sword appeared in her hands, blocking the knife that had now come dangerously close to her neck.

"You've got a real problem with trying to cut my throat don't you?" Toni asked. Kira growled. "Slitting my opponents throat is the fastest way to kill them. And it also shuts them up!" Bringing up her foot, she kicked Toni in the stomach, sending her flying backwards.

"Oww." She said as she sat up. Hearing a noise, she looked up to see Kira about to embed a knife in her chest. Toni quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the knife, and jumped to her feet.

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Toni said as she blocked another of Kiras attacks. "You want me to shut up!"

"NO!" Kira growled. "I want to **kill** you. **Then** you can shut up!" Bringing her knives up in an arc, Kira broke through Toni's defense and left two bloody cuts running diagonally across her chest. Before the girl could retaliate, Kira attacked again, leaving two slanted cuts along on one of her legs. Dropping down to one knee, Toni looked up when a knife was pressed to her throat.

"Not so cocky now. Are we, little girl?" Kira said in a mocking tone. When Toni didn't respond she pushed her knife harder into the girls neck. A thin trail of blood began to run down her pale skin, staining her already blood soaked shirt.

"What. No words of wisdom for me? You at least want to tell your friends goodbye before I kill you. Don't you?" A small smile spread across Toni's face.

"Who says I'm going to die?" In an instant, she disappeared and reappeared behind Kira. Bringing down the butt of her sword, she hit Kira on the back of the neck. Knocking her out.

"You don't have to kill an opponent to defeat them." She said before turning to walk off the arena. Hearing a noise behind her, she turned back to see Kabal pick Kira up and walk off. Giving another small smile, Toni turned back around and walked off the arena.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine.

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Chapter Seventeen

The rest of the tournament passed quickly, and it was dark by the time the last two competitors had fought. Once they were finished, Shang-Tsung stood to address the crowd. The nearby torchlight cast deep shadows on his face, giving him an eerie demonic look.

"Tomorrow you will face the champion of my tournament. I suggest you all get well rested tonight." With that said, he turned and walked off the arena, disappearing into the darkness. The crowd began to talk amongst itself as people made their way inside to go eat. And pretty soon it was only Raiden and the rest of the group standing out in the glow of the torches.

"Well it appears we're done for the day." He said as he turned to the group. "You all did well today. And your wounds should heal soon enough." As it turned out Raiden was right. Emily was already able to walk without help. And all the girls wounds had stopped bleeding. Toni was using Scorpion as a support. Something he didn't seem to happy about, but had no choice in the matter. She hadn't realized just how deep her cuts actually were. And had practically fallen over after she'd stepped off the arena. She would've had a very ungraceful meeting with the ground, but Scorpion had caught her. He still hadn't spoken to her. A sign she took to mean he was mad. But it wasn't like he was talking her ear off to begin with so she ignored him.

The group made their way to the dining area where they found the rest of the warriors stuffing their faces. After eating, the girls made their way back to their rooms where they talked for awhile before retiring for the night. Several hours later, Toni was awakened by a loud clap of thunder. Getting up, she walked over and looked out her window. She had a perfect view of the courtyard below, and she could vaguely make out figures in the dark. Just then a flash of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the figures below. Toni caught sight of a large hat, and realized it was Raiden. He seemed to be in a serious conversation with Sub-Zero, Scorpion, and Ermac, judging from the way they were standing.

'_What the hell are they doing?'_ She thought as she stared down at them. Suddenly Raiden looked straight up at her and she jumped away from the window.

"Whew. That was creepy." She muttered. Looking back out the window, she found that they had disappeared.

'_Oh, well that's not suspicious.'_ She thought sarcastically before going back to bed.

* * *

The next morning the girls walked out to the arena to find the other competitors rioting around the square.

"What's going on?" Emily asked.

"How are we supposed to know?" Ellen said, giving Emily a look.

"The others are rioting because Shang-Tsung ran off last night." A voice said from behind them. The girls turned to find Raiden standing there with Sub-Zero, Scorpion, and Ermac behind him.

"He ran off? What about his champion?" Toni asked.

"It appears he didn't have one. He didn't think you three would make it this far, so when you did he ran out of options. It was either fight you himself or run, and he chose to run."

'_What a pansy.'_ Toni thought. She looked at Scorpion and found that he appeared to be thinking the same thing.

"So what happens to the tournament?" Emily asked.

"The tournament is a way to protect Earth realm from invasion. With Shang-Tsung gone, no one is left to govern it. And since you three won against his warriors, that means that Earth wins by default."

"What about Quan-Chi and the other person?" Ellen asked. "They haven't given up have they?" Raiden frowned at her question.

"No, they haven't." He said. "But this loss will set them back and buy time for us. However, I asked only that you three go up against Shang-Tsung. The rest will be taken care of by us." He said as he indicated to the three silent men behind him.

"So if we're done what happens now?" Emily asked.

"Well, you three can go back to your normal lives now that you're done with Shang-Tsung. I can create a portal that will take you back home, but we need to go some place quieter." He turned and began walking farther down the beach, indicating for them to follow. The guys, Toni noticed, were being unusually quiet. And she wondered if it had anything to do with the conversation they were having with Raiden last night.

By the time they caught up with Raiden he was already creating the portal, so Toni decided to use her spare time to do some prying. Turning, she looked at Scorpion before changing her mind and going to Sub-Zero.

"So." She asked Sub-Zero. "Why are you all so quiet?" Everyone in the group looked at her, except Raiden, who was still working on the portal.

"You do realize that you're going back to your realm for good don't you?" Sub-Zero asked her. Toni nodded. "And." He paused and looked at Emily. "Once you go back you will never see us again." Toni looked to see both Emily and Ellen staring at the ground. Apparently neither of them had thought of this.

'_Of course, the people that they like actually like them back.'_ She thought. Scorpion was probably counting the minutes down to the last second when she would step through that portal and be gone from his life forever. She glanced over at him and found that he was still staring at her. His eyes gave away nothing as he held her gaze.

'_Yep. Counting the minutes.'_ She thought flatly as she turned away. Just then Raiden came over and joined the group.

"It's all set. You should be able to travel back to your world without any problems." The girls looked at him before looking back at Sub-Zero and the others. Sub-Zero and Ermac didn't seem to happy about the situation either, but there was nothing they could do.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Toni said when she realized neither of her friends were going to say anything. Sub-Zero seemed hurt that Emily wouldn't speak to him, but didn't act on it. Ermac, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to say something to Ellen, but held himself back. And Scorpion was just being Scorpion.

"I guess it is." Sub-Zero said. But as he spoke he was looking at Emily.

"The portal will close soon." Raiden said. The girls paused a minute more before going over and walking through the portal. And then they were gone.

End

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Authors note: Okay this is the rewritten version of chapter seventeen. I like it a lot better then the first one, which I should have never put up in the first place because I was going through some issues when I wrote it and it affected my writing. But I'm happy with this chapter, and I promise, there will be a sequel.


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